July 21, 2016 Tuesday. Weigh Day I am 326 lbs. gained 29 lbs in 2 months. Reached a point where one of the seasonings I was using was causing me indigestion after about 30 min everyday. Got to the point where I didn’t want to look at broccoli/chicken/fish. Started to eat other things & coupled with being in the hospital it didn’t take long for the weight to start coming back on. (after all I am a food addict) I’m still struggling at this point.

I’ve slid back myself, dust off and go again. Now you not only know that you can do it, but you also now know how to do it. The big thing for me all my life (other than the plump, stout, fluffies) was I had no idea where to start, or how to get healthier. Now I do, and so do you.

Also remember that you may have slid back one step, but first you took four steps forward. You really are a long way from where you started, even after slipping, just stop the slide now and you will do great.

Sorry to hear about your backslide and I don’t know all the details of what’s going on with you but look at the big picture and keep in mind that even with your backslide you’re way ahead of where you started. Just try to stop the backslide without any thought’s of having to lose further weight.

And after the backslide is stabilized and if eventually you think you can lose more, then great. But even if you never decide you can lose more, then just maintain where you are, which is a lot better than where you started.

It sounds so dumb I almost don’t want to write this, but all it takes for you to get back on track is to wake up one morning and decide to start over again. Of course it’s a lot harder to do than it is to write.

Even with the current health problems and backsliding on weight, you’re still way ahead of where you were when you started.

In fact, you’re still down by well over 50 pounds, right? in the past year and change, right?

That, by itself, would warrant a party for a lot of people!

I know it’s always disheartening to backslide; I’ve felt it myself. Anyone who tells you it isn’t a life-crushing bummer simply hasn’t been there. But it isn’t the end.

Fact is, most people who successfully lose a lot of weight have one (or more) backslides along the way. It’s almost inevitable. Like you’ve heard since the beginning - losing weight is hard, keeping it off is even harder.

Maybe your body needs a break from the downward slide… your hormonal balances and regulatory mechanisms need time to adjust to a radically different body. Among other things, your leptin levels were way down (because leptin is produced by your fat, and you had a lot less fat to produce leptin)… your brain has become accustomed to a particular level of leptin for years and years and years, and ever since you brought it down, your brain has been chemically driven to try to get you to eat more to gain fat and restore the “damaged” leptin levels.

Or maybe you psychologically needed a break from the relentless dieting… broccoli/chicken/fish, broccoli/chicken/fish, broccoli/chicken/fish, broccoli/chicken/fish, broccoli/chicken/fish… this is why we need diet breaks.

Or maybe you have a health issue that crops up that throw things off for you… I injured my back earlier this year; it prevented exercise, and I allowed myself to use it as an excuse to eat more and to eat poorly. I backslid.

Or… from the sound of it… you’ve had all three hitting you at the same time.

That’s rough.

But like I said, even with the big backslide you’ve had, you’re still way ahead compared to where you started. You’ll need to wrest back control, and you’ll need to re-set some of your goal dates (if you had set dates, that is), but you can still stop the slide and, when you’re ready, start back on a plan that keeps you moving in a positive direction.

Hey chap, I’m sorry to hear about your recent struggles — but I’m delighted to see you posting here about them. It’s so tough sticking with food habit changes. I don’t have anywhere near the challenges you have, yet I’ve repeatedly had backsliding periods over the past two years, and felt really bad about them.

As everyone else has said, don’t forget that you started at what, 397 pounds? So even on July 21st, even after putting on 29 pounds in 2 months, you’re still down 71 pounds (or about 18% of your original body weight) since you started.

I’m sure that doesn’t make your current situation less frustrating. But hopefully it reminds you that you’ve made a lot of progress, and gained a lot of experience, getting to where you are now. Unfortunately, it gets harder as you go along; fortunately, you’re even stronger now. Your addictions might think they’ve derailed your health kick, but you’ve got 71 pounds-worth of weight-loss experience to throw at these setbacks.

Progress, not perfection. One day at a time. Keep at it guy. We’re with you.

@mtandy, you absolutely will, keep at it! Every single person reading this forum regularly is pulling for you. Heck, if you decide to move to a healthy diet of regular food and give up Soylent altogether, I still want updates! You’re still well down the road to better health, bumpy and winding though it can be sometimes.

It’s been a hellish 3 months. Overwhelming, unrelenting food thoughts. Cost me over $600/month on fast food (many times delivered) on credit cards no less (which I have to pay back) I fought every step of the way. Drinking SOYLENT was my one sane part of each day. I never gave up and right now I am SUCCEEDING. I’ve got 3 1/2 days so far on my Soylent program. “One min/hour/day at a time” One thing that seemed to finally make progress was as soon as the food thoughts begin is to mentally change the subject NOT HAVE A DEBATE ABOUT IT because I always wind up LOOSING the debate. I’m afraid to get on a scale at this point because I’m afraid of how much weight I’ve put on. Right now I’m just concerned with staying on my SOYLENT program for today. To be continued…